Heir In The Making
by iamemmi
Summary: Nora is just like any other teen living in Gotham. Little does she know, her biological mother is Catwoman. Just like her mother, she gets to experience the thrills of gaining enemies, along with the ups and downs of falling in love.
1. Chapter 1: The Origin

_May 2002_

I stared blankly at the little red circle on the device laid flat against my palm. The only noise I could hear was the pounding in my head, and I couldn't move. I couldn't think.

I barely registered the pregnancy test falling out of my hand and clattering onto the sink. The sudden sound pierced through the deafening silence that had a hold of my mind. In just a second, all my senses returned. In just a second, I realised my life had changed forever. I finally looked up into the dirty and cracked mirror in front of me. The fragility of the broken reflection staring back startled me.

This wasn't the Selina Kyle I knew.

This wasn't the Catwoman the world knew.

This wasn't the woman Bruce knew when he gave her an enticing look, causing shivers throughout her body.

I wondered if he ever anticipated what would happen in the next hour when we lost ourselves in each other and ignored all the reasons why it was a bad idea. I wondered if he would look at me in the same way if he knew what I knew at this moment.

I snapped back to reality and picked up the pregnancy test, throwing it into the overfilled bin on the other side of the room. There was an overbearingly pungent smell in these public toilets, probably coming from the area next to the door where somebody evidently lost control before they got to the urinal. The stuffy and suffocating atmosphere urged me to turn on my heel and head straight through the door.

 _November 2002_

The inside of my swelling stomach turned as a familiar pain rose up, forcing me to curl up into a tight ball. My weak state meant I had to halt my criminal activities as Catwoman, and I knew it would be a while before I could return to that life.

I had already decided months ago that I wouldn't be able to keep and look after the baby when it was born. I could try to find a stable job that would support both of us, but if anyone were to link the feline identity with Selina Kyle, it was over. I couldn't risk endangering my baby and taking away her future. The thought of separating from her broke everything inside of me, but I knew it was for the best.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, I pulled the covers over my head and went back to sleep while my head filled with the image of a younger version of me, dancing around in a field of daffodils with three other little girls. I could faintly make out two figures standing side by side in the distance, watching over the girls with proud smiles on their faces. I slowly realised that I wasn't one of those figures.

 _January 2003_

Eight months had gone by since I found out I was pregnant. Any physical activity tired me out a lot faster than before and I knew I was running out of time. Sitting peacefully in the corner of a beautiful café, I munched on an egg sandwich with my face half covered by black sunglasses. The pleasant sound of chatter and quiet laughter surrounded me, and I tried to take it all in.

It was the first time I had gone and treated myself for a while, but I still felt an overwhelming sense of urgency in the pit of my stomach. After 2 months of searching, I still hadn't found what I needed, what my baby needed. My standards were too high, and the people of Gotham didn't have much to offer.

A young, happy couple, both with stable jobs, a well-balanced lifestyle, and a strong sense of compassion. That was just the beginning of the list, and though I hoped it wasn't too much to ask for, the search had been fruitless so far. There was no way I was going to give up and give her away to an orphanage. I didn't have a good experience with orphanages and I didn't want her to end up as a homeless orphan as I had. Although I became an expert at surviving in the streets of Gotham, it was a lonely situation I never wanted her to be in.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, tipping my head back and letting my mind rest for a bit. I tried to shut out all the voices around me, but one conversation coming from the table next to mine piqued my interest.

"I really hope Clara soon comes to view them as her younger sisters. They need all the love and support they can get, not just from us."

"Yeah, I hope so too. But I will be hard, learning to accept twins in her family all of a sudden."

My eyes snapped open and I leaned forward slightly, analysing the scene before me. A couple, around their early 30s, looking as carefree as ever while they sat close to each other and happily discussed their recently adopted children. What a coincidence.

The voice of a young girl suddenly called out, "Mister and Missus Le! Clara just told us this place has chocolate ice cream!" Three little girls ran towards our direction and all of them had big smiles stretched on their faces.

"Ellie, we told you to call us mum and dad. We're all a family now so you don't have to be so polite with us." The man said while patting the seat next to him. "Now sit down and we'll order everyone a serving of chocolate ice cream."

The children all cheered joyfully while he looked over at the woman and they both grinned lovingly at each other.

They formed the beautiful image of a happy family. I felt strange watching them so intently while I sat here by myself. I felt like I was invading on a private, intimate moment. But as I continued to watch them for longer and longer, the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach slowly burned away, and I was left with a gratifying sense of fulfilment.

 _February 2003_

I stood in front of the house that my baby girl would soon call home. She was all wrapped up in a soft, purple blanket that brought out the beautiful green in her eyes. They were closed right now as she peacefully slept in my tight embrace.

The heavy pain in my heart expanded throughout my chest, my arms and legs, and my entire body until my shaking intensified with every breath I took. I slowly crouched down on the house mat and squeezed her in my arms, wishing there was more time.

Planting a kiss on her soft cheek, I whispered the last words I would ever say to my one and only daughter. "Be careful with whom you trust and think through every decision you make in your life. Don't ever forget to stay strong. No matter what happens, I know you're strong enough to overcome it. Please, please stay safe." The words rushed out in one breath.

Willing my shaky hands to be steady, I lowered her onto the mat. I held her tiny hands in my own and tucked a little note halfway in the pocket of her woollen jumper. Then I stood up and rung the doorbell, whispering, "Goodbye, Nora" before running off into the shadows and never looking back.

* * *

A/N: Welcome readers, to the first chapter of my new fanfiction. This story will be based on my OC, but this first chapter is just a little explanation of what happened before she was born.

Thank you for reading up to here! Because this is my first fanfiction, I am completely new to the game and would appreciate any kind of constructive review. I'm planning to upload around every two weeks, but that may change based on my workload at school.

So stick around if you find this story interesting:)

\- Emmi


	2. Chapter 2

**January 1** **st** **, 2016**

 **16:40 EST**

 **Tim**

"I can't believe I missed out on all the action. And I didn't even get to find a souvenir!" Beast Boy's face crumpled into a disappointed frown that almost distracted Tim from the putrid smell he currently emanated.

Miss Martian started to walk towards him but wrinkled her nose and decided against it, opting for verbal comfort instead.

"It's okay, this wasn't really a remarkable mission anyway. There'll be plenty more opportunities in the future."

Tim quietly hummed in agreement. The fight with Clayface was expectedly uneventful and he couldn't help but wonder at the old mission reports recording the team's previous failure. It reminded him of Aqualad and he shook the thought from his head.

He prepared to step into the telephone booth to zeta back to the cave when-

"HELP!"

They all whipped their heads towards the distressed voice and glanced at each other with similar thoughts circling their minds. They didn't waste a second before rushing into action.

Tim launched his grappling hook and swung himself onto the roof of a brick building. Beast Boy was already in there bird form, scanning the vicinity for the source of the sound.

Tim crouched down near the edge of the rooftop and looked out at the barren and dull streets of Gotham. His eyes immediately zeroed in on a flash of purple desperately running from another darker figure on a street fairly far away.

He glanced at the rest of the team who already seemed to catch on. Superboy was already cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Tim reached up to press his intercom. "Delta squad to Cave. We've encountered a new problem. We'll deal with it as soon as possible but expect a minor delay."

A voice quickly responded within seconds. "Don't take too long. Contact the Cave immediately if it gets out of control. I expect a full report once you return. Nightwing, out."

"Okay guys. Let's go."

* * *

 **Nora**

Nora's mind scrambled in panic as she flew down the empty streets of Gotham. The wind blew at her face and into her coat, causing it to billow out and cast a deep purple shadow around her.

"HELP!" Nora screamed in desperation. Her cheek stung from the knife wound that would've made its mark in her right eye if she hadn't turned her face at the exact moment. The wind didn't help at all.

There was no one around to save her. Even if there were, Nora lived in these streets long enough to know they wouldn't risk their lives saving her from the figure chasing her down with terrifying speed. Nora's pumped her arms and legs as fast as she could, but there was nothing she could do to stop her muscles from tiring out and slowing down.

She turned a corner and felt her heart drop at the sight of a dead end. There wasn't enough time for a detour, so she ran further towards the dead end and eventually could do nothing but press her back against the wall and mentally prepare for what was in store.

Nora's eyes fixed on the figure that rounded the corner. He held two small knives in each hand and wore a form-fitting black long sleeve paired with khaki combat trousers. But it wasn't his clothing that made people fear him. It was his mask that gave him his notoriously unnerving appearance.

It displayed a face with stark white skin and evil eyes shaped as elongated slits lined with red, the same colour as his thin stretched out lips.

Nora had recognised the mask the instant she saw it. But she had no idea why such a high profile assassin would target her. What had she ever done to upset whoever had enough money to hire him? Her heart raced as he slowly strolled closer. It seemed like an eternity before he finally loomed only a few feet away.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way."

Nora hadn't expected that. His voice sounded so weirdly young…as if he were barely out of adolescence. And the way he said it…as if he were genuinely sorry. Nora had heard enough of his crimes to know that he never showed his victims mercy.

The moment was over when he took one giant stride forwards and aimed a strike at her chest.

Nora's body reacted before her mind did.

She stepped closer and simultaneously twisted her body, narrowly dodging the sharp surface by blocking against his forearm. She countered with a leg sweep while he was still off guard, somehow managing to trip him.

Nora wasted no time in waiting for a reaction and leapt over his fallen body to make a dash out of the dark alleyway, not letting her own surprise at her success slow her down one bit.

* * *

 **Tim**

"Uhh does she even need help?"

Blue Beetle pointed at the scene that had just occurred with a shocked but impressed expression. The girl had somehow managed to get out of the situation herself. But there was no way she was completely out of harm's way. Not when the perpetrator was already up and had his knives prepared to throw.

Tim threw a Birdarang to intercept the knife aimed at the girl. It successfully made contact and the knife clattered to the floor. But he didn't anticipate the second knife that was thrown after, although he should have.

The second knife sliced through the air straight towards the girl's back and Tim's heart seemed to stop working.

At the last second, she arched her body to the side and out of the way. The knife missed and caught the hem of her coat instead, nailing it against a metal streetlight.

It seemed to Tim like she was somehow able to sense the incoming projectile. He shook his head out of bewilderment and jumped down, landing in front of the criminal, prepared to fight. The villain took one look at the rest of the team appearing alongside Tim and dropped his knives, raising his hands in surrender. "I guess you finally caught me this time…"

"…just kidding."

Smoke filled the air and Tim's vision was filled with grey.

* * *

 **14:40 EST**

 _ **Earlier that day…**_

Nora was extremely grateful for holidays like today, though most would disagree with her methods of spending the free time.

"Nora! Get down here and join us already!" A voice boomed up the stairs through her door. She rolled her eyes and continued to read in blissful ignorance, casually flipping through another page in the hopes that she could finish this book before one of her sisters dragged her from the comfortable haven of her room.

The soft thudding of footsteps started to get louder and louder until they were not so soft and Nora's bedroom door was thrown wide open, wiping out her hopeful thoughts.

"Dude. Are you seriously missing out on some epic brownie making to read? One of Clara's boring and out-dated books nonetheless?"

Nora sighed and slowly rolled around to face her older sister.

Alexa obviously hadn't bothered to shower or even change after returning from the gym. Her dark brown hair was still pulled back in a tight bun and her black eyes were set on the book in Nora's hands in disappointment.

"Hey, watch your mouth. Harper Lee is not out-dated and will never be. If you ever bothered to open a book rather than spend your life at the gym, maybe you would know that. " Nora instantly clamped my mouth shut. Maybe she had gone a bit too far.

It was too late. Alexa blankly stared at her with uninhibited anger and a rare twinge of hurt. Nora was about to mutter out an apology when suddenly her book was snatched up and carelessly thrown on her cluttered desk.

Before she could even protest, Alexa swiped her legs from under her and effortlessly hauled her off the bed in one go.

"Oh my God. You should've seen the look on your face," Alexa managed to gasp out in a fit of laughter while effortlessly carrying her thirteen year old sister on her back like a sack of potatoes. "C'mon we can't waste this time without parents at home to nag us about making a mess of the kitchen."

"Pleease let me continue and I'll be done in half an hour maybe." Nora pleaded with her sister who was already making her way down the stairs with ease. She inwardly cringed as Alexa's sweaty clothing stuck to her skin, but quickly became too tired to complain.

Ellie's soft singing became clearer as Nora was finally thrown into the pillowy couch of their living room, right next to Clara who was too used to this happening and too busy texting on her phone to even react. This was the usual when parents weren't home. All three sisters would be minding their own business and Alexa would manage to force them all together to do some random activity.

At least this time it was baking and not one of her gruelling workouts.

Alexa ran straight into the kitchen, but came back an instant later. "We're out of milk!" Alexa yelled at Clara.

"Are you serious?" Clara pouted and glared back at her. "You used it all in your gigantic smoothie, didn't you? Just go out and buy some more you dimwit."

Nora suddenly noticed Ellie sitting by the windowsill, frowning out the window. "It's getting pretty dark out." She murmured in quiet contemplation.

Nora understood her worry. Even though they lived less than a mile away from the supermarket, it would be plain ignorant not to be scared. They lived in Gotham after all. "I'll come with you Alexa."

Alexa looked at Nora and smiled. It quickly morphed into a smirk. "I'll be okay on my own, but I guess I could use a personal slave to carry my things for me."

Nora bit back a remark and went to put her shoes on. Alexa paused at the door.

"Last one to the supermarket has to pay."

Even though Nora knew Alexa would never actually let her pay, her competitive streak compelled her to rush after her sister out the door, barely remembering to grab her purple coloured coat on the way out.


	3. Chapter 3

January 1

16:50 EST

"Luca is one of the most sought-after assassins in the world, greatly trusted by the League of Shadows to fulfil some of their top scale operations." Nightwing paced back and forth, before stopping to face me.

"But he randomly decided to make his way to Gotham, chase you down and attempt to kill you, only to disappear when he had the perfect chance." He looked at me with a questioning expression as he said this, pleading for some kind of explanation.

"I know it doesn't add up, but as I've said before, I honestly have absolutely no idea why he would target me." I tried to sound as convincing as possible, but I probably looked like a mess in front of everyone, waving my arms in a desperate attempt at expressing my sincerity.

I tried not to make it too obvious that I felt intimidated by my strange surroundings and its even stranger inhabitants as I asked, "what is this place anyway?"

Just a few minutes ago I was led into a telephone booth, and from there I stumbled here through some kind of 'zeta tube,' or was it 'beta?' All I knew was that it gave me a huge headache I still felt now as I was being interrogated. The pointy and stiff chair they placed for me only helped by a fraction.

"It's the inside of a cave." I turned to look at a green boy munching on some crisps. He seemed totally serious so I decided to believe him for now. I guess the Justice League decided their sidekicks deserved their own little lair inside of a cave.

"Okay everyone, please go somewhere else while I'm questioning Nora here, preferably the showers, please. Except for you, Robin. I need to know everything that happened from all sides," Nightwing instructed wearily.

The blue exterior of a tall dude with wings abruptly started to peel away, revealing a normal-looking human underneath. He nudged the smaller green dude with a grimace. "Now that sounds like a plan! You know, for you, hermano!"

They all turned and left in quiet chatter, leaving only Robin and Nightwing, who looked at me apologetically. "I know you probably want to get home to your family, but please understand that Luca is a serious threat, not only to you. We need to know everything to prevent him from being a threat to anyone else. Are you sure you've done nothing to upset anyone? Or that someone you care about hasn't done anything unusual?"

I could tell they genuinely wanted to help. But I honestly knew nothing. I couldn't help but sigh out of impatience. "I've told you everything I kno-"

"What did he tell you before he disappeared?" Robin interrupted with a step forward. "I saw him whispering something in your ear when the smoke started to fade away. What did he whisper?" His sudden advance worried me. Everything about his tense posture and straight to the point questions told me one thing. He didn't trust me one bit.

I gulped nervously; not knowing if telling them what Luca said in those last moments would be of any help. His strange words only made me even more confused when I thought about it.

"Um…he did say he's seen me before. Oh, and he also says, 'hi'."

"Err…what?" Nightwing asked with confusion.

"He told me to say 'hi' to my friends for him. I'm guessing he meant you guys."

Nightwing ran a hand through his black hair in exhaustion like he wasn't used to having such a useless witness. I suddenly felt guilty. My personal knowledge seemed to be their only lead on this guy. This would've all been all for nothing if I didn't at least give them something to work with.

"I don't know if this helps, but he did say he'll be back. And that next time, he will fight back." I carefully said.

They both looked at each other in silent communication. I couldn't read what they were thinking at all, but they seemed to understand each other from just this one look as Nightwing addressed me once more. "Thank you for your time, Nora. I'm sure you've told us as much as you know so you may go home now."

I stood up and looked around, unsure of how I was to do that. Nightwing immediately came to my rescue. "Robin can escort you back to your home directly. We can't take any chances with someone like Luca, he could still be lurking around in Gotham."

Robin swivelled to look at him in dismay, mouth open and ready to argue. Deciding against it, he quickly clamped his mouth shut and briskly walked towards the 'beta tube' before typing into a tall panel next to it.

I sceptically glanced at Nightwing for assurance, but he just gestured for me to follow Robin, presenting a smile that only magnified my worry.

* * *

17:15 EST

As I started to see my house in the distance, my mind started to panic. How was I supposed to explain everything to my parents? They would literally freak and never let me walk out alone ever again, even if it was just to get across the front yard for the mail.

Robin seemed to sense my panic. "I've already called your parents about what happened so you don't need to worry too much. You just need to show them that you're fine."

I didn't question how he found my parents' phone numbers, too focused on hiding my shock from hearing his voice behind me for the first time since we arrived back in Gotham. It had been a completely silent journey with me concentrating on making my way home and him just wordlessly following me the whole way.

I decided not to respond to his sudden remark and fidgeted with the bandage on my cheek instead. Miraculously, it was the only injury I sustained, but I knew that when I walked through the door, just the sight of it would make my parents think the worst.

When we finally reached the front porch, I turned to Robin to thank him, but it was just my luck that he also started to say something at the same time.

"tha-"

"We-"

"..."

I laughed nervously at the awkward silence that ensued, but he gestured for me to go first. "Um..thanks. I get the sense that you don't really trust me, but thanks for escorting me home I guess."

His face didn't betray any sign of emotion, but I continued on, "most importantly, thank you to both you and Batman for not giving up on our dumpster of a city. The police are kind of hopeless, and I...uh, I know you're just trying to make up for it, even though we don't deserve it." I lightly chuckled.

It was true though. I always wondered why Batman and his kids continued to protect this city when clearly, all the bad guys would keep coming back.

For the first time, he smiled. I could see that he was just a kid under that mask, maybe even as young as me. "It's my honour to protect this dumpster and the garbage in it. We'll keep in contact if you need anything."

I turned away to ring the doorbell. "How are we gonna contact each oth-"

When I looked back, he was already gone.

* * *

January 3rd

17:20 EST

 **Nightwing POV**

"Batman, can I talk to you for a bit?"

The man in mention paused and faced me as the rest of the leaguers made their way from the Watchtower.

"I know there's a lot on our minds with all this krolotean business, but I need to address something about the League of Shadows. It's about Luca. There may be a way to track him down." I warily explained as Bruce remained stoic, waiting for me to continue.

"A girl by the name of Nora Le, she ran into him in Gotham, two days ago on New Years. It's still unknown why he went after her exactly, but according to what he told her directly, he will do it again."

Finally, he replied. "Is the girl alive?"

"Yes, escaped with barely any scratches."

The whites lenses of his mask widened by a fraction. "Do you at least know why he let her go, alive?

I laughed nervously. "That's the thing. We have no idea why he would do any of this. Even Nora herself has no idea."

"So did you come to me for help?" I felt a little stab at my pride at his blunt remark.

"No…not exactly. Well, I've seen that the girl, Nora, has some pretty decent skills in combat. And I just wanted to ask if we could maybe give her a place on the team?" I tried my best to sound sure of myself. I hated giving Bruce the idea that I was still a child who didn't know what he was doing and still needed assistance all the time.

"If you think that would be best," was all he said in reply. I could tell he was reading through all of my words and knew exactly why I wanted to do all this.

I could also tell that he wanted me to make my own decisions, but this was one of the rare cases where I really did want-no, need his advice. Bringing someone onto the team was a huge deal. There were so many things that needed to be taken care of for that to happen, not just some training and a little advice. It literally changed your whole life. And not everyone was up to that kind of challenge and commitment.

So I went on, "but do you think she would be ready for it? It's a little late to start training for her at this stage. Is it all worth it?"

"Well, maybe you should ask her that. Or better yet, find it out for yourself."

I nodded my head in agreement, although of course I already knew what I'd need to do. I guess he trusted me with this one and didn't want to interfere with my decision making.

He continued, "I'll see if I can arrange some time to investigate this matter. But if even you haven't managed to find anything, I don't know if I will be able to." I cursed myself for feeling so pleased with his low-key compliment. But I knew he likely didn't have any time to investigate further anyway, and I was also currently busier than normal with some other more...pressing matters.

But I had already anticipated this. "Actually…I think I know someone who might be willing to take charge of this case."

* * *

A/N: I felt really guilty about leaving the very first chapter by itself for 3 months after I said that I'd try to update every 2 weeks...

So I decided to upload the 3rd chapter a little earlier as compensation for the few of you that actually care about this story:)

You also may have noticed a new character, Luca. He's my second OC and you'll find out more about him later on.

Thanks for reading up to here, I promise the next chapter won't take another 3 months to come out.

-Emmi


End file.
